Fish-trap.



J. R. WILLIAMS.

FISH TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. so, 190e.

w M m J. R. WILLIAMS.

PATENTED APR. 21, 1908.

FISH TRAP. PPLIOATION FILED Nov. ao, 1906.

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parts of the "heart seines and in a novel orrangement of' nets carried by floats d upon of the wall D directly below the spreader e JACKSON it WILLlAMS, Ol" PROYINUETOWN, l\IASS.\CHL'SETTS.

FISH-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 21, 1908.

Application filed November 30. 1906. Serial No. 345,679.

To all who/m 'it may concern:

Be it; known that I, JACKSON R. WiLLIAMs. a citizen of' the United States, and resident of Provincetown, in the county of Barnstable andState of' Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fish-Traps, of which the following a specification.

- My invention has for its object to provide a floating fish trap and consists essentially in a novel arrangement and organization of the ganization and arrangement of the pound in lts relation to the heart and in the means for closing the pound to the exit of fish when it is desired to remove the fish from the pound.

In the drawings, Figure I shows in plan my new trap; Fig. 2 shows a side view; Fig. 3 shows the floating pound and bib piece separated from the other parts ofthe trap; Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 3 but shows the pound closed; and Fig. 5 is a central section on Fig. I 4. Fig. 6 vis a plan view of my new trap, showing the floating pound drawn into the preferred position.

From the shore or any desired point the leader net A is floated upon suitable floats a attached to its upper edge, its lower edge resting upon the bottom (see Fig. 2) 'and from the outer end of the leader net a guy rope is carried forward over a float E'to an anchor or mooring weight or other suitable abutment and tautened, to kee the leader net Ain alinement. lnclosing t e outer end l of the leader net (see Figs. 1 'and 2),'is a heart D, D, so-called, consisting of an arp their upper edges, which nets reach to the bottom 'and flare out from the'entranee C oi' y the pound B. At the outer extremity of' the sides D ofthe heart the net'is attached to a spreader d and is maderentrant by another side D. The spreader d is attached by guy ropes to an anchor or other suitable abutment.

The inner ends of' the walls D of the heart are secured at their up er edges to barrels or other suitable floats E which are separated by a spreader e and at a suitable point below their upper edges a heav bar e', preferably of metal, is attached to tlie. inner edges l and serves to spread the inner edges of the walls D of the heart and by its weight or b suitable weights attached to the bar to pull the inner edges of thev heart Walls straight and from this spreader bar e depends a bib piece DWhich is connected at its edges with the side walls D of' the heart and at its lower edge rests upon the bottom. Thepound B consists of the side walls b which are supported at their upper edges by the floats b and the floats E', E, E3, and the bottom b, all of net of suitable mesh. The walls of the pound are not continuous but terminate closely adjacent to the inner ends of the walls D of the heart,'and the bottom of' the pound is upon a llevel with the weighted spreader bar e.

The weighted spreader bar e carries eye bolts at either end through which ropes e are passed leading to the float directly Iabove and at its lower end attached to the pound net at the junction point between the bottom and the bottom edge and end of the side wall b At the same point is also attached a small pulley block e and a cooperating pulley block c secured tothe float above and between these two pulley block's is` properly reeved a suitable rope e".

It will now be obvious, assuming that the leader net extends .from the shore outward, that a fish passing along the shore in either `direction will encounter the leader net, and

being unable to pass under it, will swim outwardly toward the trap. At the 'extreme -outer end, if the fish is a surface fish, he will naturally pass through the entrance C into the pound B and if a bottom fish he will encounter the bib piece Dl and will either pass upward through the entrance into the pound B or swim around within the walls D of the vheart until he finally finds the entrance C into the pound B.r Then it is desired to empty the pound B of' the fish therein, the operator releases the return ro )e e and by means of the tackle blocks e" liauls up the bottom 52 of the pound B to the surface, thus closing, with the bottom of the pound B, the opening C between the opposed ends of wall b of the pound B. Having donc this and secured the net in this position, the operators pass around the walls t hauling them by hand gradually upward and throwing the walls of the ound over the floated upper edges of the vwa l and In 6 I have shown the most advanta eous form into which the floating'.

,si e of the opening, as at x2, and the cord is then drawn upon until the Walls of the ound are drawn to the desired position. en the desired eHect is reduced the other end of the cord is secure( to the u )per edge of one of the heart nets. It will be understood of course, that the pound, being made of netting,iis perfectly flexible as it lies in the Water, and when it is once drawn into any sha e rests practically as easily as in any other s ape and that no mechanism is required to eifect this end, beyond a suitable length of cord.

I claim: A 1. A fish trap, comprising a leader net; a heart made up of side nets D and rentrant nets D; a bib piece; the leader net, heart nets and bib piece extending to the bottom; a pound, made up of a bottom and a side wall having an opening upon one side; the leader net enterixw the base of 'the heart to guide the fish into the heart, the heart Walls and the bib piece converging to the opening in the wall ol the pound to guide the fish into the pound.

2. In a fish trap the combination of a heart; a bib piece and a "pound made up of a bottom andlside Wall and having an opening in its side wall, the heart Walls and the bib piece extending to the bottoin, the heart and the bib piece converging to the openin in the wall of thel pound to guide' the sh into the pound and means to raise the bottom of the pound adjacent to the opening in the wall of the pound to the surface of the water, to close said opening.

3. In a fish trap, the combination of a heart made up of nets D, D; a bib ieceg.

a poum B made up of a bottom 2 and sidewall b and having an opening in its side Wall to which the heartand-bib piece 'converge to guide the fish to the opening; a weighted spreader bar e supported by the Wall D of the heart adjacent the lowerv side of the openin in the wall b of the pound floats E carrying the opposed ends of the wall b at the opening; and tackles connecting the bottom of the pound at the opening in the wall b with the floats E', E, to raise the bottom of the pound te close the opening in its Wall.

Signed Vby me at Boston, Massachusetts this 20th day of November, 1906.

JACKSON R. WILLIAMS. Witnesses E. D. CHADWiCK, C. I). WOODBERRY. 

